Sesa Football Academy Secures Second Position at the Goa Pro League 2024
- Goa Pro League 2023-24 saw participation from 13 prominent football clubs across Goa
- SFA has groomed over 250 footballers since its inception in 1999
Goa, 1st May 2024: Vedanta’ flagship CSR initiative Sesa Football Academy’ Senior Men’s Football Team has secured the second spot in the Goa Pro League, the pre-eminent football league in Goa which was established since in 1996. In their final league match today ,Sesa Football Academy beat Young Boys of Tonca 8-0 in a commanding show of attacking football.
Competing with 13 teams during the league, the Sesa football academy points total stood at 48 which has further ensured qualification of the for the prestigious 2024-25 I-League 3. During the league, SFA has scored 55 goals. While Joshua D’Silva from Team SFA has been recognized as the top goal scorer in the tournament, with 24 goals to his name.
Mr. Annanya Agarwal, President, Vedanta Sports said, “Football in Goa has witnessed remarkable growth, thanks to the dedication and passion of the athletes at Sesa Football Academy. We sincerely believe that there is abundant talent in our country who can achieve great heights if nurtured in the right manner, not only nationally but on global platforms as well.” He also said: We are committed to nurturing this spirit, empowering young talents to excel and contribute to India’s sporting legacy. Vedanta stands committed in its mission to foster holistic development through sports, ensuring a bright future for our athletes and the nation.”
Speaking on the Occasion Sesa Football Academy team coach Charles Dais said: “I would like to extend heartful congratulations to the players of Sesa Goa Academy team for showcasing determination, skill, and sportsmanship during the league. It is with your dedication and skill, we have managed to set a shining example for aspiring champions. I would also like to give my best wishes to the team for the upcoming 2024-25 I-league 3. Through Sesa Football Academy we would continue to support and encourage the dreams and aspirations of young athletes, who truly represent the future of sports in India.”
SFA aims to develop quality footballers from the state of Goa and across the country by creating environment for discovering, nurturing, and building talent for Indian Football. The academy identifies and trains talented youngsters, who are passionate about Football at the grassroot level by inducting them into its residential programme and over a period of four years, nurtures and develops them into professional footballers and well-disciplined citizens while taking care of their academic education throughout the residential training programme.
Mr. Navin Jaju, CEO, Sesa Goa, Vedanta Limited on the occasion said, “Vedanta Sesa Goa has been deeply committed to nurturing football talent and fostering its growth in Goa and India. I am happy to see that our Sesa Football Academy’s (SFA) commitment, training and guidance has been instrumental in propelling the aspirations of these young & talented youth as they represent their clubs, state and hopefully the nation as we progress.” He added, “Congratulations and best wishes to all the players who performed brilliantly today, to our dedicated coaches & staff for this outstanding achievement that has brought us immense pride.”
SFA has groomed over 250 footballers since its inception in 1999 and has made tremendous impact on the football fraternity across the country. Most of the academy alumni have represented the National team, I-League clubs, and prestigious football clubs across the nation. 9 players have earned the National team cap and many alumni have played the elite Indian Super League (ISL)
Apart from Residential football training programmes through Sesa Football Academy, Vedanta has also launched Vedanta women’s league (VWL) in collaboration with GFA, which is one of its kind platforms for aspiring women footballers across Goa state. 430+ Women footballers from across Goa have participated in the last 7 VWL editions.
About Vedanta Cares
Vedanta is committed to reinvest in the social good of its neighbourhood communities and the nation. The Group’s flagship CSR project, Nand Ghar, is a network of model anganwadis where the thrust is on inclusive development of women and children at the grassroots level. The Group CSR initiative comprises of seven key verticals – Education, Healthcare, Water and Sanitation, Sustainable Livelihood, Skilling, Sports & Culture and Employee Volunteering. Vedanta Foundation, a philanthropic initiative of Vedanta Group is focused on skill development and vocational training programmes for the underprivileged to make them employable. A key healthcare speciality CSR project is the Balco Medical Center, a 200-bed state-of-the-art Cancer care hospital located in New Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The company supports grassroots level sports through their Football academies in Goa and Udaipur.
About Vedanta Limited
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa, Namibia, and Australia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing to India’s growth story, currently contributing 1 percent of India’s GDP. The company is among the top private sector contributors to the exchequer with the highest ever contribution of INR 42,560 Crore in FY 2019. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment and on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company has been conferred the CII-ITC Sustainability Award, the FICCI CSR Award, Dun & Bradstreet Awards in Metals & Mining, and certified as a Great Place to Work. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
About SESA Football Academy
An initiative of SESA Community Development Foundation (SCDF), SESA Football Academy (SFA) was founded in 1999 for the holistic development of the local youths through football. The academy has created the conditions for discovering, creating and building talent for football. SFA does not restrict itself to football trainings but involves in a long term residential program which takes care of the formal education, skill development of the trainees during the four-year training period.
The academy has a strong focus on women empowerment through football. Since inception, SFA has trained around 200 footballers and has made tremendous impact on the football fraternity in Goa as well as across India. The graduates from SFA are serving in the national teams, Indian Super League (ISL), I-League clubs of India and clubs in Goa. 7 players have earned the national team cap and several players played the elite ISL.